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PARASHAT EKEV 5757

ISRAEL: THE CHOSEN LAND

Eretz Yisrael (= the Land of Israel) is the land that Hashem looks
after. His eyes are constantly upon it, from the beginning of the
year until the end of the year.
(Devarim 11:12)

Throughout the ages, Eretz Yisrael has been known to us as the
Holy Land; it is the land that was chosen by Hashem for His people. The
unique holiness of Eretz Yisrael is a recurring theme in the words of the
Torah and Midrash (see esp. Ketubot 110a). Why was it that Hashem chose
this land rather than any other land in the first place? In what way did is
it more prepared for spirituality than all other lands? Or, touching upon a
broader subject, how can the presence of Hashem dwell in one land more than
in others? Doesn't Hashem's presence fill all that exists? If so, in what
way can one place be more holy than another?

Undoubtedly, these questions can be approached from many different
perspectives. Each answer will fill in another part of the full picture. I
would like to offer an insight based on the words of this week's Parsha
that addresses this question, in the hope that it may add its own trace of
color to that picture.

II

The land to which you are coming is not like Egypt. [In Egypt] you
could sow your seeds and irrigate them by foot [with water from the
Nile River], like a vegetable garden. But the land you are going to
inherit is a land of mountains and valleys, which depends upon
rainwater.... If you keep the Mitzvot that I am commanding you, and
you love Hashem and serve Him with all of your hearts and souls, I
will make the rain of your land fall as it should.... Take care not
to be persuaded to stray from Hashem and serve idols and to bow to
them. [If you do so, G-d forbid,] Hashem will be incensed and He
will stop the heavens from giving forth rain.
(Devarim 11:10-17)

In what way is Eretz Yisrael "blessed" by the fact that it relies
upon rain as its water source? Is it not preferable to have non-seasonal
rivers providing a constant source of water for the country's crops, as in
Egypt? Perhaps this verse means to convey the following thoughts.

There are two types of miracles that Hashem performs on this world.
The first is an obvious miracle, involving a change in the natural
processes to which we are accustomed. Examples of this would be the
splitting of the sea during the Egyptian exodus, and the survival of
Chananya Mishael and Azarya in a fiery furnace, to name a few. Such
miracles are few and far between (see Ramban Devarim 11:10). Hashem, after
all, impressed upon the world the laws of nature for a reason. From the
faithfulness and dependability of nature, we can ourselves learn to be
faithful to our Creator (see for example Chulin 7a, in reference to the
Gina'i River).

With the second type of miracle we are more familiar: a miracle
that works within the framework of nature. Examples of this would be rain
that comes with perfect regularity (Devarim 11:14), and the protection of
the property of the festival pilgrims (that is, those who observe the
Torah's commandment to visit Jerusalem three times a year during the 3
Torah festivals, leaving their possessions behind unattended -- Shmot
34:24). In these instances, what happens seems to be perfectly natural.
Over X number of years, there will generally be X inches of rainfall, over
X square miles. What is supernatural, is the timing of the event. If rain
falls with perfect with regularity when the nation follows the word of
Hashem and stops when it when the nation does not, or if worthy individuals
are spared from a calamity that befalls all of their surrounding neighbors,
the hand of Hashem is evident. It is justified to call such a phenomenon
"miraculous". (See Ramban Vayikra 18:29, 26:11, for a lengthy discussion of
this subject.)

This is why it is a "blessing" for Eretz Yisrael to have to rely
upon rainwater. In Egypt, the Torah tells us, there will be a constant
water supply. Therefore, it will be natural for the toil of the farmer to
bear fruit. It would be disrupting nature for the Nile River to suddenly
stop flowing. Hashem would therefore intervene with the Egyptians' means of
earning a livelihood but rarely. Because of this, the hand of Hashem would
never become evident to them.
In Eretz Yisrael, on the other hand, "nature" is much more fickle.
Its water supply is not guaranteed. Hashem uses it freely to measure the
devotion of its inhabitants. When they are worthy, it rains; when they are
not, the rains cease. Since the livelihood of its inhabitants depends upon
the regularity of the rain, they will feel dearly the fact that Hashem
rewards the righteous and punishes those who are undeserving. In this
manner, Hashem will reveal his presence to the inhabitants of the land. It
is certainly a blessing to have a *less* reliable livelihood. (See Ramban
ibid., Rabbeinu Bachye Devarim 11:17).

III

It is now clear how Eretz Yisrael is a land of spirituality. Since
it is dependent upon daily and monthly rainfall, it is in this land that
Hashem constantly shows His presence to His people.

This line of reasoning suggests a general approach to the concept
of "holiness." If Hashem fills all of creation, in what way can one place
be holier than another? The answer may be that there actually is no
difference between the various places from Hashem's perspective. The
holiness of a place is simply a reflection of *our* closeness to Hashem; in
certain places Hashem's presence is more obvious to us than in others. This
is what the Torah means by saying that Hashem's "rests His presence among
us" (Vayikra 26:11) at certain times and in certain places. (As noted
above, this is simply one perspective of "holiness." There certainly are
more esoteric angles to holiness which are far beyond the scope of our
present discussion.)

The irregularity of rain in Eretz Yisrael is only the starting
point. Hashem chose Eretz Yisrael as the place in which He demonstrates to
the world His divine presence. Therefore, His hand is more evident in Eretz
Yisrael in every way. Whether He is protecting us from enemy tanks and
missiles or helping us settle the land, His Hand is more obvious in Eretz
Yisrael than in the Diaspora.

IV

What we have shown may serve to clarify numerous cryptic statements
in Chazal:
"V'haya Emunot Itecha..." (Yeshaya 33:6). [The word] "Emunot"
[faith], in this verse refers to the section of the Mishnah that
deals with the laws pertaining to plants grown in Eretz Yisrael,
since when a farmer plants crops, he is expressing his faith in
Hashem (the He will send rain to water the seeds, rather than
letting them rot in the soil).
(Gemara Shabbat 31a, and Tosefot
ad. loc. from Yerushalmi)

Specifically In Eretz Yisrael, sowing the soil is truly an act
bound to strengthen one's faith. The large number of offerings a farmer
separates from produce grown in Eretz Yisrael demonstrates as well that the
farmer in Eretz Yisrael has a greater obligation to thank Hashem for his
crops. The farmer in the land of Egypt, or in other lands, has not been
shown nearly as much divine mercy as the farmer in Eretz Yisrael has been
shown.

"One who lives outside of Eretz Yisrael, is as if he does not have
a G-d" (Ketubot 110b). [What this means is,] the other lands all
have angels appointed over them [that perform the task of
delivering the needs of the land's inhabitants as Hashem wills.]
But in Eretz Yisrael, Hashem Himself cares for us directly.
(Ramban Vayikra 18:25- see
also Ramban to Devarim 11:10).

Because His involvement is more evident in Eretz Yisrael, it can
be said that Hashem deals with it in a more direct manner. In other
countries, however, He remains less conspicuous, cloaked in the guise of
nature!